3.gothic period

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

BHAGWAN MAHAVIR COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

05 HETALI BHATT

15 SAGAR GOTAWALA

18 SHREYA KELAWALA

21 SAGAR KHANESHA

38 MIKIL VANKAWALA

•The style of art known as

Gothic developed in Europe

during the Middle Ages.

• It was mainly a method of

building. Gothic characteristics

appeared first in architecture.

Many of the world's great

cathedrals and churches were

built in the Gothic style

between the 12th and 16th

centuries.

GOTHIC PERIOD



• Devout Christians would Undertake long pilgrimages in order to visit and venerate the relics of saints and martyrs.

• Widely Travelled people to visit sites and see relics believing them To have curative powers.

• These large numbers of people travelling routes standard created from one monastery to another "Pilgrimage Roads" - They Became routes of trade / commerce and travel.

• Gothic style architecture included big churches called cathedrals. Cathedrals had tall skyscraper-like towers.

• They made them That way to get people to look

up in the sky and think of God;

the experience of looking at one of the

great gothic cathedrals is to look up towards

divinity.



• That is why most gothic structures emphasize the upright.

• Represented gothic cathedrals faith, dedication, and cooperation.

• The spiritual attitude dominated the Romanesque age that was not as strong and sure during the gothic.

• Earlier in the period, people believed that the world was a god - inspired mystery that could be expressed in art.

• Through engineering, intellect and spirituality these medieval cathedrals perfectly express the mind.

• The church in the middle ages was a place that all people, could belong to.



•The Catholic Church prevailed across Europe at this time, influencing not only

faith but also wealth and power.

•Bishops were appointed by the Church and often ruled as virtual princes over

large estates.

•The early Medieval periods had seen a rapid growth in monasticism, with

several different orders being prevalent and spreading their influence widely.

•Foremost were the Benedictines whose great abbey churches vastly

outnumbered any others in England.

•A part of their influence was that they tended to build within towns, unlike the

Cistercians whose ruined abbeys are seen in the remote countryside.

•The Cluniac and Cistercian Orders were prevalent in France, the great

monastery at Cluny having established a formula for a well planned monastic

site which was then to influence all subsequent monastic building for many

centuries.



RELIGIOUS

•From the 10th to the 13th century,

Romanesque architecture had become

a pan-European style and manner of

construction, affecting buildings in

countries as far apart as Ireland,

Croatia, Sweden and Sicily.

•The same wide geographic area was

then affected by the development of

Gothic architecture, but the acceptance

of the Gothic style and methods of

construction differed from place to

place, as did the expressions of Gothic

taste.



GEOGRAPHIC

HERALDRY—A combination of

particoloring, coat of arms and family

insignia that would note family lineage in

coat of arms or clothing.

DIAPERING—Putting precious gems and

stones on a garment in simple or elaborate

patterns most often recognized by a

diamond pattern.

PARTI-COLORING—A multi-colored

garment, often with one side embroidered

based on the colors and the emblems in a

coat of arms

NOTABLE GOTHIC COSTUME ELEMENTS



CHAPERON—A caped hood with long tail,

or liripipe, worn with the face opening around

the head and the liripipe wound about the

head and then draped under the chin.

DOUBLET—A short jacket or variety of

pourpoint sleeved or sleeveless, worn under

a closefitting pourpoint, when used as an

outer garment it was padded and had a short

skirt.

POURPOINT—A short jacket with tight

sleeves buttoned from elbow to wrist, worn

under the cote-hardie; formerly known as a

paltock.



• COTE-HARDIE—A shaped garment, tight-fitting

around the shoulder, waist and hips. When worn

by a woman it usually ended at the hips or

slightly below, often with dagged or scalloped

edges. It could be hooked or laced up either the

front or the back.

• TIPPET—A band sewn around the elbow of the

cote-hardie sleeve with the end hanging as a

streamer.

• ROUNDEL—A headdress made of a thick roll of

material with a scarf or liripipe hanging down one

side and draped over the shoulder.



POMANDER—A ball or hollow ornament often made

of filigree, containing a sponge of perfume,

suspended from a necklace or girdle.

TABARD—Square piece of fabric with a hole in the

middle, to be worn over the armor.

SHORT GOWN—A garment tailored at the shoulders

and gathered at the waist with a cord that would be

cut at the knees. Undergraduate gown of today.

LONG GOWN—Same as the short gown but fuller

and all the way to the floor. Graduate gowns of today



CONNECTIONS WITH ROYALS AND FAMOUS

PEOPLE

• Royal connections

– medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon

saint at its heart of the building.

– Unbroken role as the coronation

church since 1066

– final resting place of 17 monarchs

– Conducted many royal funerals

– Hosted 16 royal weddings

• Connections with famous people

– burial place for several prominent

people in British history



•Buildings in Gothic times supplied the framework into which all other arts fitted.

Leaves, flowers, conventional patterns, and large statues were carved into the

stonework of buildings.

•These statues were usually of saints or persons from the Bible.



GOTHIC SCULPTURE

•Sculpture was used everywhere on Gothic

churches.

•Figures of saints stood around the piers;

scenes from the old and new testaments were

carved above doorways.

• People were depicted more realistically during

the Gothic period than during the Romanesque.

•The folds and wrinkles of garments were

shown falling in a natural way. The faces of the

statues had expressions, and their almond-

shaped eyes seemed to look in one direction or

another.

•This was unlike Romanesque sculpture, which

was stiff and not naturalistic.



•Gothic carvers often combined

beautiful, natural-looking, and

saintly figures with imaginary

demons, imps, or other invented

creatures.

•Sometimes these creatures

were grotesque and sometimes

they were funny.

•The Middle Ages was a time

when the church had absolute

authority, but that did not stop

people from remembering the old

legends and superstitions that

had been passed down from their

ancestors.



•The earliest Gothic paintings were decorations on the walls of

buildings. Later, stained-glass windows often took up much of the wall

space, leaving no room for painting on a large scale

.

•Smaller painting on panels of wood were made to be placed above

altars in churches.

•Other examples of Gothic painting are found in hand-decorated books

called illuminated manuscripts.

• Later the artists painted studies of real life.

Plants and animals and people served as

models.

• It was during the Gothic period that artists

stopped copying older forms and started

basing their designs on shapes in nature.

GOTHIC PAINTING



WALL PAINTING STAIN GLASS BOOK

RELIGIOUS PAINTING



WHAT IS GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE?

―Gothic architecture is a style of

architecture the flourished during

the high & late medieval period.

It evolved from Romanesque

architecture & it was succeeded

by Renaissance architecture‖.



GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE (12 – 15th century)

• Gothic architecture began mainly in France, where architects were inspired by

Romanesque architecture and the pointed arches of Spanish Moorish

architecture.

•It's easy to recognise Gothic buildings because of their arches, ribbed vaulting,

flying buttresses, elaborate sculptures (like gargoyles) and stained glass

windows.

Gothic architecture was originally known as ―French Style‖. During the period of

Renaissance it fell out of fashion and it was not respected by many artists. They

marked it as ―Gothic‖ to suggest it was the crude work of German barbarians

(Goths).

•Examples of Gothic architecture:

•Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

•Milan cathedral,milan, italy



GOTHIC

• Meaning of Gothic

– “DARK AGE”

• Invading barbarians from

the north ruined ancient art

and replaced it with their

own culture

– Goths took Rome in 410

• little damage but became

known as the first tribe of

barbarians and thus the

name ―Gothic‖



SUPERSTITIONS

• Gothic art expressed the

apocalyptic sense that a great

day of judgment and/or

catastrophic change is at hand.





INVENTION



THE MECHANICAL CLOCK 13TH

CENTURY AD

SPINNING WHEEL 13TH CENTURY AD

HOW THE GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE CREATED IT’S

OWN LANGUAGE.

• Goths believed that forests were the first temples of God....The

forests of the Gauls passed in their turn into the temples of our

fathers, and our oak forests have thus preserved their sacred origin.

• These vaults incised with leaves, these socles that support the walls

and end brusquely like broken tree trunks, the coolness of the

vaults, the shadows of the Sanctuary, the dark aisles, the secret

passages, the low doors, all of this evokes in a Gothic church the

labyrinths of the forests.



ELEMENTS OF CHURCH



ELEMENTS OF CHURCH



GREEK CROSS PLAN LATIN CROSS PLAN



•Church, in architecture, is a building designed for christian worship.

•The earliest churches were based on the plan of the pagan roman basilica,

or hall of justice.

•The plan generally included a nave, or hall, with a flat timber roof, in which

the crowd gathered; one or two side aisles flanking the nave and separated

from it by a row of regularly spaced columns; a narthex, or entrance vestibule

at the west end, which was reserved for penitents and unbaptized believers;

and an apse of either semicircular or rectangular design, located at the east

end and reserved for the clergy.

•Greek-cross plan, church plan in the form of a

Greek cross, with a square central mass and four arms

Of equal length.

•The Greek-cross plan was widely used in byzantine

Architecture and in western churches inspired by

Byzantine examples.

GREEK CROSS



http://www.britannica.com/technology/Greek-cross-plan

LATIN CROSS

• A plain cross in which the vertical

part below the horizontal is longer

than the other three parts.

• Cathedrals were usually oriented

along an east-west axis.

• The main entrance was on the

west end while the liturgical stuff

(altar, bishop’s throne, etc.) Was

located in the east end.

• They had the shape of a Latin

cross.



NAVE : The central longitudinal space of a basilica church.

TRANSEPT: An extension across the main

axis giving a church the shape of a cross.



AISLE: The space between the columns of the

nave and the side wall.

narthex

NARTHEX: A vestibule leading to the nave of a church, originally

separated by a screen.



apse

CROSSING: Area of a church where the nave, choir, and transept

intersect .

CHOIR: Area of the church where the priest performs the mass.

APSE: Vaulted, circular extension or projection at the eastern end of a

church .



Gothic Architecture CHARACTERISTICS



•SKELETAL STONE STRUCTURE

•VISUAL ARTS WERE IMPORTANT NCLUDING

THE ROLE OF LIGHT IN STRUCTURES

•SCHOLISTICAL- TRANSLATIONS OF REAL

EVENTS INTO STONE AND GLASS

SKELETAL STONE STRUCTURE



VISUAL ARTS WERE IMPORTANT INCLUDING THE

ROLE OF LIGHT IN STRUCTURES



SCHOLISTICAL- TRANSLATIONS OF REAL EVENTS

INTO STONE AND GLASS



CHARACTERISTICS OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

• Dark

• Focus on verticality

• Pointed arches

• Rib vaults

• Flying buttresses

• Large stained glass windows

• Ornaments and pinnacles



POINTED ARCH

• Gothic architecture is not merely about

ornamentation.

• The Gothic style brought innovative

new construction techniques that

allowed churches and other buildings

to reach great heights.

• One important innovation was the use

of pointed arches.

• Earlier Romanesque churches had

pointed arches, but builders didn't

capitalize on the shape.

• During the Gothic era, builders

discovered that pointed arches would

give structures amazing strength and

stability.



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/a/n/ReimsiStock000003535053.jpg

Gothic Architecture: The Pointed Arch



RIBBED VAULTING

• Earlier Romanesque churches relied

on barrel vaulting.

• While barrel vaulting carried weight

on continuous solid walls, ribbed

vaulting used columns to support the

weight.

• The ribs also delineated the vaults

and gave a sense of unity to the

structure.

• Arches, usually three pairs per

rectangular bay, running diagonally



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/Z/n/AbbayedeRoyaumontFlickr.jpg

THE RIB VAULT







THE FLYING BUTTRESS

• In order to prevent the

outward collapse of the

arches, Gothic architects

began using a

revolutionary "flying

buttress" system.

• Freestanding brick or

stone supports were

attached to the exterior

walls by an arch or a half-

arch.



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/_/n/SainteChapelleRiomiStock000001204324.jpg

THE FLYING BUTTRESS



LARGE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

• Since the walls themselves were

no longer the primary supports,

Gothic buildings could include

large areas of glass.

• Huge stained glass windows and

a profusion of smaller windows

created the effect of lightness and

space.

• The stained glass window shown

here is from Notre Dame

Cathedral in Paris.



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/V/n/NotreDameStainedGlass200511202.jpg

GARGOYLES

• Cathedrals in the High Gothic style became

increasingly elaborate.

• Over several centuries, builders added

towers, pinnacles, and hundreds of

sculptures.

• In addition to religious figures, many Gothic

cathedrals are heavily ornamented with

strange, leering creatures.

• These gargoyles are not merely decorative.

• Originally, the sculptures were waterspouts

to protect the foundation from rain.

• Since most people in Medieval days could

not read, the carvings took on the important

role of illustrating lessons from the from the

scriptures.



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/X/n/NotreDameGargoyleTR006783.jpg

• In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between.

• Architects often used multiple gargoyles on buildings to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm.

• A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth.

• Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastic animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is thrown from the wall.

• When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueductswere sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls



GOTHIC FLOOR PLANS

•Gothic buildings were based on

the traditional plan used by

basilicas.

•However, single units were

integrated into a unified spatial

scheme.



http://0.tqn.com/d/architecture/1/0/k/A/gothicplan02-at.gif

• Most Gothic churches, unless they are

entitled chapels, are of the Latin cross

(or "cruciform") plan, with a long nave

making the body of the church, a

transverse arm called the transept and,

beyond it, an extension which may be

called the choir, chancel. There are

several regional variations on this plan.

• The nave is generally flanked on either

side by aisles, usually singly, but

sometimes double.

• The nave is generally considerably

taller than the aisles, having clerestory

windows which light the central space.

Ameins cathedral

Wells cathedral



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AmiensDB363.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WellsCathPlanDehio.jpg



THE ENTIRE SANCTUARY IS THUS PERVADED BY A WONDERFUL

CONTINUES LIGHT ENTERING THROUGH THE MOST SACRED WINDOWS

NAVE ELEVATION COMPARISON FOR HIGH

GOTHIC CATHEDRALS

Figure 18-9 Nave elevations of four French Gothic cathedrals at the same scale (after Louis Grodecki): (a) Laon, (b) Paris, (c) Chartres, (d) Amiens.

80 ft.

107 ft. 118 ft.

144 ft.

Height of nave vaults



LIST OF CATHEDRALS

• WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON

• ST .STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL VIENNA,

AUSTRIA

• NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS,

FRANCE

• MILAN CATHEDRAL,

MILAN, ITALY





1. WESTMINSTER ABBEY

INTRODUCTION

• Collegiate Church of St. Peter at

Westminster, located in the City of

Westminster, by the Thames in South

West London.

• Initially established by King Edward the

Confessor (later Saint Edward) in 1040.

• The building was subsequently enhanced,

the present church begun by King Henry

III in 1245.

• English Gothic architecture masterpiece.

• Still a working church, but one that

represents a unique pageant of British

history



WESTMINSTER ABBEY – ARCHITECTURE

• Gothic architecture

– Introduced from France (style of the medieval period)

– English Gothic flourished between 1180-1520

• Westminster Abbey has many of the defining

characteristics of English Gothic, as follows:

– pointed arches and large windows

– large windows

– vaulted roof and ceiling

– narrow nave

– buttress

– spires

• At Westminster Abbey, the physical characteristics combine in such a way

as to appeal to the emotions







BENEDICTINE MONASTERY / JERUSALEM CHAMBER

• Benedictine monastery history

– Monks at Westminster Abbey

– Dissolution by King Henry VIII

– Reign of the protestant Elizabeth I

• Jerusalem Chambers

– The principal room in the medieval

house of the Abbots of Westminster

(this house known as Cheyneygates)

– Rich tapestries

– Historic significance of Jerusalem

Chambers



WESTMINSTER ABBEY – WORLD WAR II

• Blitz

– numerous bombing raids by the Luftwaffe

– night of 10 May 1941

• Protection of treasures

– evacuation

– protection

• Building usage during the War

• Victory celebrations

– Victory in Europe (VE) Day on 8th May 1945

– Victory over Japan (VJ) Day on 15th August 1945



CONCLUSION

• Worship

– A living church today, part of the Church of England, with daily

services.

• Historic significance

– One of the world’s greatest churches, a designated World Heritage

site

– reflects key events in British history

• Architectural significance

– masterpiece of English Gothic architecture



2. ST .STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL VIENNA, AUSTRIA



• Its most recognizable

characteristic, the diamond-

patterned tile roof, was only added

in 1952.

• the initial Romanesque structure

was extended westward; the

present-day west wall and

Romanesque towers date from this

period. In 1258, however, a great

fire destroyed much of the original

building, and a larger replacement

structure, also Romanesque in style

and reusing the two towers.



ST .STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL VIENNA, AUSTRIA

• King Albert I ordered a Gothic

three-nave choir to be

constructed east of the church,

wide enough to meet the tips of

the old transepts.

• The middle nave is largely

dedicated to St. Stephen and All

Saints , while the north and south

nave, are dedicated to St. Mary

and the Apostles respectively.

• he winds carried the fire to the

cathedral where it severely

damaged the roof, causing it to

collapse.



SECTION OF ST .STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL VIENNA







3. NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS, FRANCE



• Names: Notre Dame

Cathedral; Cathédrale Notre-

Dame de Paris (Cathedral of

Our Lady of Paris)

• Location: Paris, Ile-de-

France, France

• Date: 1163-1345

• Features: Medieval Stained

Glass; Romanesque

Sculpture



NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS, FRANCE

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/IMG_2616p

HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL

• The Notre Dame de Paris

stands on the site of Paris' first

Christian church, Saint Etienne

basilica, which was itself built

on the site of a Roman temple

to Jupiter.

• Construction on the current

cathedral began in 1163.

• Between 1210 and 1220, the

fourth architect oversaw the

construction of the level with

the rose window and the great

halls beneath the towers.



http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/xti_9239

• The towers were finished around

1245 and the cathedral was finally

completed around 1345.

• During the reigns of Louis XIV and

Louis XV at the end of the 17th

century the cathedral underwent

major alterations, during which many

tombs and stained glass windows

were destroyed.

• In 1793, the cathedral fell victim to

the French Revolution.

• Many sculptures and treasures were

destroyed or plundered

• The cathedral also came to be used

as a warehouse for the storage of

food.



http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/IMG_2251p

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/IMG_2723bp.php

Double aisles – ambulatories on a bent axial line

Transepts not projected beyond the aisle wall

High vault –a ribbed vault whose lateral triangles are bisected by an

intermediate transverse rib, producing six triangles within a bay

Vault is 100ft (30m) high

Double span flying buttresses (earliest form)



• Interior elevation – 4

levels

• Arcade of columnar

piers

• Tribune (originally

covered by transverse

barrel vault, and lit by

the round windows)

• Decorative rose

windows

• Small clerestory



FLYING BUTTRESSES



NORTH AMBULATORY LOOKING EAST



•The beautiful West Rose Window

dates from about 1220.

•The west rose window at Notre

Dame is 10 meters in diameter and

exceptionally beautiful.

•The main theme of the west rose is

human life, featuring symbolic scenes

such as the Zodiacs and Labours of

the Months.

•On the exterior, it is fronted by a

statue of the Virgin and Child

accompanied by angels.




• The south rose window

installed around 1260.

• its general themes are the

New Testament, the Triumph

of Christ

• The south rose is 12.9

meters in diameter and

contains 84 panes of glass.

SOUTH ROSE



•Notre-Dame, Paris

•West front has a solid quality

•Triple portals

•Gallery of Kings

•Represents twenty-eight

kings of the Old Testament


http://www.planetware.ca/f.htm?1=/trees/F/P/PARIS.HTM+F-P-GK&2=/sites/F/P/GK.HTM

• The three west portals of Notre Dame

Cathedral are magnificent examples of early

Gothic art.

• Sculpted between 1200 and 1240, they

depict scenes from the life of the Virgin

Mary, the Last Judgment, and scenes from

the life of St. Anne (the Virgin Mary's

mother).



http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/xti_9939bp

Interior of Notre Dame cathedral



INTERIOR VIEW OF

NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS,

FRANCE

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-notre-dame-cathedral-photos/slides/xti_9818p



4. MILAN CATHEDRAL, ITALY

• Milan Cathedral is the cathedral

church of Milan in Lombardy,

northern Italy.

• The Gothic cathedral took five

centuries to complete.

• It is the largest Gothic cathedral

and the second largest Catholic

cathedral in the world.



• Length 157 metres (515 ft)

• Width 92 metres (302 ft)

• Width (nave) 16.75 metres (55 ft)

• Height (max) 45 metres (148 ft)

• Dome height (outer) 65.5 metres (215 ft)

• Spire height 106.5 metres (349 ft)

• Materials Brick with Candoglia marble



• The plan consists of a nave with four side-aisles, crossed by a transept and then followed by choir and apse.

• The cathedral's five broad naves, divided by 40 pillars, are reflected in the hierarchic openings of the facade.

• Even the transepts have aisles.

• The nave columns are 24.5 metres (80 ft) high, and the apsidal windows are 20.7 x 8.5 meters (68 x 28 feet).

• The huge building is of brick construction, faced with marble

• The height of the nave is about 45 meters, the highest Gothic vaults of a complete church.

• The roof carries spectacular sculpture that can be enjoyed only from top. The roof of the cathedral is renowned for the forest of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses.



The famous "Madonnina" a top

the main spire of the cathedral, a

baroque gilded bronze artwork.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Duomo_Madonnina.jpg

THE CATHEDRAL AS IT APPEARED

IN 1745.

THE CATHEDRAL IN 1856.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dal_Re,_Marc'Antonio_(1697-1766)_-_Vedute_di_Milano_-_09_-_Il_Duomo_-_ca._1745.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Milano_Duomo_1856.jpg

MILAN CATHEDRAL FLYING

BUTTRESS



INTERIOR VIEW OF

MILAN CATHEDRAL

REGIONAL VARIATIONS -BRITISH

• The thing that makes English cathedrals

different from the others is that they are

long, and look horizontal

• English cathedrals nearly all took

hundreds of years to build, and every part

is in a style that is quite different to the

next part.

• The West window is very large and is

never a rose window.



• The west front may have two towers

like a French Cathedral, or none.

• There is nearly always a tower at the

middle of the building, which may

have a big spire.

• The distinctive English east end is

square, but it may take a completely

different form. Both internally and

externally, the stonework is often

richly decorated with carvings,

particularly the capitals.



REGIONAL VARIATIONS -ITALY

• The plan is usually regular and symmetrical.

• With the exception of Milan Cathedral which

is Germanic in style, Italian cathedrals have

few and widely spaced columns.

• The proportions are generally

mathematically simple, based on the

square, and except in Venice where they

loved flamboyant arches, the arches are

almost always equilateral.

• Italian cathedral façades are often

polychrome and may include mosaics in the

lunettes over the doors.



• Italian gothic cathedrals use lots

of colour, both outside and

inside.

• The columns and arches are

often decorated with bright

colored paint.

• There are also mosaics with gold

backgrounds and beautifully tiled

floors is geometric patterns.

• The facades often have an open

porch with a rose windows above

it.



• The bell tower is hardly ever

attached to the building, because

Italy has quite a few earthquakes.

• The windows are not as large as in

northern Europe and, although

stained glass windows are often

found, the favorite way of

decorating the churches is fresco

(wall painting).

GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE


REGIONAL VARIATIONS - FRANCE

• The distinctive characteristic of French

cathedrals, and those in Germany and

Belgium that were strongly influenced by

them, is their height and their impression

of verticality.

• They are compact, with slight or no

projection of the transepts and subsidiary

chapels.

• The west fronts are highly consistent,

having three portals surmounted by a

rose window, and two large towers.

• Sometimes there are additional towers on

the transept ends.



• The east end is polygonal with ambulatory.

• In the south of France, many of the major

churches are without transepts and some

are without aisles.

• It was good for building because it was soft

to cut, but got much harder when the air

and rain got on it. It was usually a pale grey

colour. France also had beautiful white

limestone from Caen which was perfect for

making very fine carvings.



• The architects had to think of a new

way to make a wide roof from short

pieces of timber. That is how they

invented the hammer-beam roofs

which are one of the beautiful

features seen in many old English

churches.

• Hammer-beam roof: consists of a

series of trusses, repeated at

intervals.

• its object is to transmit the weight

and thrust of the roof as low as

possible in the supporting wall.



HIGH POINTED ARCHES

GARGOYLES

BUTTRESSES

LARGE COLORED WINDOW

THICK

SUPPORTING

WALLS WITH A

FEW WINDOWS

THICK TOWERS



Romanesque Gothic

Radiating chapels and

apse: Separate compartments. Unified, unbroken space.

Vault: Mostly barrel-vaults, some

groin-vaults. Groin-vaulted cathedrals.

Arch type: Rounded arches. Pointed arches.

Main vault support: Thick walls, buttresses. Exterior flying buttresses.

Clerestory: Small few windows Large stained-glass

windows.

Elevation: Horizontal, modest height. Vertical, soaring.

Exterior: Plain, little decoration,

solid.

Ornate, delicate, lots of

sculpture.

Sculptural decoration: Thin, elongated, abstract

figures.

More realistic proportions

and individualized features.

Mood: Necessary light Dark, gloomy later bright

and airy

Example: St. Sernin, Toulouse,

France. Chartres Cathedral, France.



Education

3.gothic period